What was going on when I was born?

When an inmate enters the Kentucky state prison for women, no matter what her age or crime, her street clothes are taken away and replaced with dull, shapeless, green state-issued dresses; she is not allowed to wear makeup or display pictures of her children or other loved ones; she must turn out the lights and go to bed at 9:30 P.M. In her cell she may possess a Bible, an ashtray and a drinking glass. After a minimum of 11 months of flawlessly good behavior, she may work up to the top level of privilege and may occasionally sit on the grass, take medicine, wear her own clothes, stay up later and make three 10-minute telephone calls a month. The only vocational training available is in clerical work. As both sides in what may be a nationally significant sexdiscrimination case agree, male prisoners at all but the state's stiffest maximum-security institution are allowed to talk on the telephone at least 120 minutes a month; are subject to none of the other rules about dress, photographs and bedtimes, and have more than a dozen areas of vocational training open to them.

By Marian Burros c. 1982 N.Y. Times News Service For many busy people evening meals mean carryout, usually a fairly expensive solution; eating out, an even more expensive one; heating TV dinners, a tasteless alternative, or eating out of cans, a depressing thought. The more ambitious cook ahead on the weekend or rely on menus that take no more than 30 minutes to prepare. For those who are willing to spend some time in front of the stove there is one additional variation on the theme: cooking ahead on purpose. Then the ''on purpose'' leftovers can be used as the base for a quickly made dish at the next meal.

The three business representatives on the State Financial Control Board warned yesterday that they would withhold their required full approval of New York City's budget for as long as it continued to be based on more than $500 million in uncertain state aid and taxes. The three so-called private members of the seven-member Control Board also said that unqualified endorsement of the city's financial plans was jeopardized by questions about the eventual size of a wage settlement with municipal labor unions and by a Transit Authority deficit of more than $200 million. Without the unqualified imprimatur of the Control Board, the city, in the view of many officials, would find it difficult and perhaps impossible to borrow the money it needs. 'Clear' Responsibility ''If all these problems cannot be resolved by the time we must act, we believe that our responsibility is clear,'' the three board members said in a joint statement that was unusual both in its strong tone and the very fact that it was issued.

House Republican leaders today rejected the budget plan endorsed by President Reagan and the Senate Budget Committee, objecting to proposed changes in the Social Security system and to a major tax increase in a recession. Specifically, they rejected the Senate Republican proposal to commit Congress to find $40 billion in savings in Social Security outlays before a bipartisan study commission makes its recommendations at year's end. The House Republicans also said they regarded proposals to raise taxes by $95 billion as excessive and sought a larger reduction in military spending than the Senate committee adopted. In another setback for the Reagan Administration, a large number of Republicans defied their leaders as the House approved a $1 billion emergency appropriation to provide mortgage subsidies to revive the depressed housing industry. (Page A23.)

Mayor William V. Musto of Union City, N.J., won re-election yesterday, 24 hours after being sentenced to seven years in prison on racketeering charges. In Newark, the state's largest city, Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson, who was seeking a fourth term, finished first but without a majority and will face a runoff election on June 15 with Earl Harris, the President of the City Council. Both have been indicted on charges relating to the creation of a no-show city job. Elections were also being held across the state in Trenton, Atlantic City and Paterson, among other communities. In Union City, Libero Marotta, the 53-year-old lawyer who waged a relentless battle against Mayor Musto, conceded defeat an hour after the polls closed.

For 32 years' worth of Sundays, Robert Meyer says he stayed away from church except for an occasional wedding or funeral. Like millions of other unchurched Americans, he had his reasons. Among other things, his job as manager of the Gemini movie theaters keeps him on duty until 2 A.M. Sunday and requires an early return that day. Beyond that, he says, he simply had little interest. But last Christmas, in a scene reminiscent of an O. Henry tale, Mr. Meyer felt prompted by a religious urge to attend services at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church on Lexington Avenue at 88th Street, a stately, somber, gray stone building he had passed hundreds of times without paying much attention.

A crowd of unhappy shareholders squared off against the Tosco Corporation's testy management today in a tightly orchestrated, 90-minute annual meeting that drew cries of protest from the outnumbered dissidents. The outcome of a proxy fight led by Kenneth M. Good, a Colorado land developer, will not be known until May 24, when the counting of ballots cast at today's meeting is completed. Mr. Good's group wants to oust Morton M. Winston, Tosco's president and chief executive, and possibly liquidate the $3 billion energy company, The strength of applause from both sides during the meeting suggested that Mr. Good, who controls 8.8 percent of the company's common shares, had gained considerable support in his six-week battle. ''I think it is very close,'' he said later. Vigorous Applause for President But the majority of the more than 1,200 shareholders who crowded into the ornate ballroom of the Beverly Wilshire hotel for the meeting had clearly sided with Mr. Winston. ''I congratulate you,'' an elderly man told the Tosco management, to vigorous applause.

The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company said yesterday that it had ended its talks with the RCA Corporation regarding Firestone's possible acquisition of the Hertz Corporation. Firestone, which had announced its discussions earlier this month, said in a statement that it was not now able to ''pursue vigorously opportunities both in its ongoing businesses and in an enterprise the size of Hertz.'' Analysts have speculated that RCA is demanding between $700 million and $800 million for its car rental subsidiary, and one estimate has placed that figure at $1 billion.

Government ministers from the 24 major industrial democracies completed a two-day review of the world economy this evening on a pessimistic note. They agreed that no early end to the recession is in sight and that six million more people are likely to become jobless this year, raising the total number of unemployed in their counries to more than 30 million. The ministers, attending the annual meeting of the Organizaton for Economic Cooperation and Development, which monitors the economic performance of its member nations, promised to keep trying to reduce inflation, preserve free trade and modernize industry. But their final communique shows they remain seriously divided over how to tackle the crises gripping their countries' economies. ''The message is not a very pleasant one,'' said Emile van Lennep, secretary general of the organization, in summing up the ministers' work at a final news conference.

O.E.C.D. ministers voiced doubt that the recession will end soon. The officials, in a pessimistic report after a two-day meeting in Paris, said six million more workers were likely to become jobless in their countries this year. In Washington, the Labor Department said unemployment was at record and near-record levels in Canada, France, West Germany, Britain and Japan. (Page A1.) Argentina's troubled economy has stabilized a bit as a result of emergency measures imposed during the Falkland crisis. But the business community there agrees that the financial strains of the conflict with Britain will lead to still-higher inflation and the abandonment of economic liberalization plans. (D1.)

Lending officers for big United States banks can usually be found traveling through Latin America at this time of year, meeting with government and corporate officials eager to arrange new loans. This year, however, the war between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands has kept the bankers at home. ''They're staying here doing their homework and keeping a close watch on what's going on,'' said one leading international banker who requested anonymity. ''There is now a sense of nervousness about Latin America that was not present a year ago,'' added Donald G. McCouch, senior vice president and deputy general manager-international at the Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company. ''The Falklands contribute to that.''

The B.F. Goodrich Company said yesterday that it expected to be the first company to receive a payment from the $1 billion security account set up to pay settlements of claims between the United States and Iran. Goodrich said that the company had reached a privately negotiated settlement with Iran on one of several claims. The company did not specify when the settlement was reached but said that it occurred after the Jan. 19 deadline for filing claims.